Arsenal will seek to make it three wins out of three when they face Brighton in the Premier League this afternoon, but they will be without their latest addition, Mikel Merino.
The Spain international finalised his move to north London on Tuesday for an initial fee of £27.4 million.
But Mikel Arteta disclosed that his latest signing sustained an injury on his first training session with the club.
Merino suffered a fractured shoulder during a training incident in which Gabriel Magalhaes landed on top of his new teammate, and he is expected to miss a few weeks as the club assesses the severity of the injury.
Takehiro Tomiyasu, meantime, remains out with a knee injury and has yet to return to training.
Gabriel Jesus missed last week’s win over Aston Villa due to a groin injury, and while Arteta believes he will not be off for long, he is unlikely to join the team tomorrow.
Last time out at Villa Park, Arteta made only one change, with Jurrien Timber replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko at left back. The two have distinct strengths in that position, with Arteta preferring the Dutchman’s defensive prowess against Villa’s offensive line.
Riccardo Calafiori made his second-half debut, replacing Timber, and quickly won over fans in his 11 minutes on the pitch.
The Italy international is another possibility for that left-back position, and he may have the perfect opportunity to make his complete debut at home on Saturday.
Leandro Trossard replaced the restrained Gabriel Martinelli on Saturday and had an immediate impact, putting his team ahead two minutes later.
The Belgian international provided the guile and ingenuity that Martinelli’s performances have lacked of late, and he will believe he has done more than enough to force his way into the team.
Kai Havertz has been charged with leading the line so far this season and is expected to remain in that capacity.
Predicted Arsenal XI to face Brighton
Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Trossard
